‘Red Admiral’ butterflies arriving in Ontario, Mississauga in large numbers
Published May 2, 2024 at 7:46 pm
The “Red Admiral” is on the march from south of the border and butterfly lovers will be happy to know the species will be a common site in Mississauga this spring.
It appears 2024 is set to be a banner year for the iconic butterfly as people have already spotted hundreds in the province and their migration path from the United States suggests thousands more are on the way, according to Credit Valley Conservation.
Red Admiral butterflies, when seen from above with their wings spread, are mostly brownish black with an orange stripe and white spots. When viewed with their wings folded up, nature watchers will notice their grew-brown mottled patterns on their hind wings and a “striking” colour pattern of pinkish-red, blue, and white on their forewings.
Upon first look, they can be confused with their more popular “migrating cousin” – the Monarch butterfly. Monarchs are significantly larger and have four wings that are orange and black from both sides.
“The frigid winters in our area are too cold for these insects, even as a sheltered egg or pupa they can’t survive,” said Laura Timms, Program Manager, Natural Heritage Management, of the community-based environmental organization dedicated to protecting the Credit River Watershed.
“Red Admirals migrate to the southern United States during winter, just like us planning a tropical getaway. As spring arrives, some migrate back to Canada to take advantage of the abundant habitat and plant food sources.”
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For reasons still not known, the Red Admiral’s population has good and bad years. The last time there was a large number of the insects here was 2012.
A variety of factors determine how many will survive in the southern United States and how many will travel north.
“Fall and winter droughts or cold snaps that kill off predators and parasites could be a reason for their population growth, especially combined with an early spring that produces lots of host plants,” wrote Timms on the conversation’s site.
Red Admirals have at least two generations in Southern Ontario. The adults now arriving will mate and then use nettle plants as their egg’s nursery.
“After the caterpillars get their fill of nettle leaves, they encase themselves in a protective chrysalis that mimics a dead lead, eventually emerging as an adult ready to begin the cycle anew.”
The Credit Valley Conservation asks anyone who takes a photo of the Red Admiral butterfly to submit it to its Butterfly Blitz citizen science project here. The data from the will be used to protect, restore and manage habitats throughout the Credit River Watershed.
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